As I get ready to make some bean burgers (recipe for bbq kidney beans and quinoa burgers coming soon), I wanted to share this dish from a few days ago. You may or may not know of my love of shawarma, a Middle Eastern dish usually made with chicken, beef, or lamb, but I am always looking for ways to use the spices found in shawarma and create delicious and interesting vegan food.
The idea for this bowl actually come from one of my favorite dishes at Native Foods, the Greek Gyro Bowl. I think my spices are a little different, and after playing with the recipe a little, I’ve come to like my version better.
Gyro Spiced Seitan and Quinoa Bowl. #Vegan Recipe
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I've taken my love of shawarma and put it in a bowl!
Author: Debbie
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (usually used in Indian food, it is a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, coriander & black pepper)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup tahini sauce (Trader Joes didn't have tahini, so I bought the pre-made sauce. If you'd rather make it yourself, here is a good recipe .
- ¼ cup hummus
- 1 lemon
- 8 ounces seitan, cut into thin slices
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup onion
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced
- 1 medium yellow squash, sliced
- Feel free to use your favorite vegetables. I like cauliflower and broccoli in this dish (but my husband doesn't).
- ½ cup tahini sauce
- ½ cup hummus
- Pita Bread
Instructions
- Blend the spices together. If you're missing one, or if you don't have the Garam Masala, use as many as you have.
- Combine the tahini, hummus, and the juice of ½ of the lemon. Stir in the spice mixture.
- In a small bowl, combine the tahini blend with the seitan. Set aside.
- Make the quinoa according to package directions.
- Preheat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes, or until the onion is starting to get soft.
- Add the seitan, allowing the marinade to drip off each piece before you add it to the pan. Brown on both sides. Reduce the heat and add the rest of the marinade. Allow to heat through.
- Tahini/hummus sauce: Combine the tahini, hummus and the juice of ½ lemon.
- While the seitan is cooking, steam the vegetables until they are crisp-tender.
- Assemble the bowl: Quinoa, veggies, seitan. Pour the rest of the hot marinade over the bowl. Serve with hot pitas and the tahini/hummus sauce.
I hope that you had a great weekend. I want to take a moment to remember that Memorial Day is not about barbecues and extra days off, but a day to honor the men and women who have given their lives to keep our country safe.
Did you do anything special for the long weekend?
ahh the child and I had many conversations yesterday about WHY she had no school.
I may have beaten a dead horse—but she wont forget 🙂
She’ll learn. She’s 8, a few more Memorial Days and she’ll have it down. 🙂
mmm mmm mmm! i had a pretty low key weekend with lots of time spent outdoors & with friends – just what i needed!
Those are my favorite kinds of weekends. Pretty much what I did (except the friends were my husband and my dogs 🙂
Your recipe looks absolutely amazing! Love all the spices!
Thank you. If you like middle eastern food, you’ll love this 🙂 (After next weekend, anyway)
I love shawarma, too! We just got a Garbanzos near us (med inspired chain owned by Chipotle people) and that’s my go-to there. But your take on it sounds fantastic!
In my pre-vegetarian days (and before it went out of business), my husband and I used to go to a little joint called the Pita House. The BEST shawarma. We went there once a week, it cost like $6 each, and we had enough for lunch the next day. It’s a good thing the restaurant is gone, because that would be meat-meal I’d have a hard time resisting. Which, obviously is why I try recreating it on my own.
Looks delicious! Will pin for later!
Thank you!
I love gyros!!! I was making my own seitan for a while… need to get back on that so I can try this recipe out.
I actually used store bought seitan
Seriously, I have made it before, but I like the store bought version better, is that terrible of me? I’ve been using Sweet Earth brand though, which has no preservatives or any other junk. Just the same ingredients I would use if I made my own.
Mmm, great idea. I LOVE shawarma, too! And you can’t go wrong with tahini sauce. 🙂 Thanks for your thoughtful comment today, too!
Mmmm, I love shawarma and tahini. I just made this the other day and I could have it again tonight!
You’re so welcome Laura. I am so pro-adoption, have had such great adoptive parents myself! I always hope that more people will open their hearts to adoption, and that they understand that infertility doesn’t have to mean your sentenced to being childless.
Btw, my husband was also adopted, and he was recently found by his biological son, who was adopted when he was an infant (my husband didn’t know he existed until about 3 years ago!).